The Prince of Wales does not have seven eggs for breakfast, insists Palace

Jeremy Paxman was wrong to claim the Prince of Wales has seven boiled eggs
cooked for him at breakfast but only eats one, Clarence House has said in a
new initiative to dispel 'myths' about the heir to the throne.

Prince Charles uses a 'tufting gun' to work on a wool carpet featuring the royal crest at a New Zealand Sheer Brilliance event in Auckland Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Jeremy Paxman, the Newsnight presenter, made the original claims in his book On Royalty, published in 2006.

He wrote that the story, which came from "one of the prince's friends" was that after a day's hunting, the Prince of Wales liked to have a boiled egg.

However he was allegedly so particular about the firmness of the yolk that he had his staff regularly provide seven eggs, numbered according to cooking time, so he could sample each and select according to preferred hardness.

Under a frequently asked questions section on the new website, the suggestion is refuted.

"Does The Prince of Wales have seven boiled eggs cooked for his breakfast but only eat one, as claimed in Jeremy Paxman’s book 'On Royalty'?," the website asks. The answer: "No, he doesn't and never has done, at breakfast or any other time."

The website seeks to address twenty six charges made against Prince Charles and his wife - amongst them the suggestion that he has too many staff, is an advocate of medically unproven homeopathic treatments and interferes in Government policy.

Nor has Prince Charles given any thought to his Coronation following the eventual death of his mother, the Queen, the website insists.

It said: "Contrary to some press reports claiming that The Prince wants to hold a multi-faith Coronation when he becomes King, His Royal Highness has not been involved in any discussions or planning for the next Coronation, and is very unlikely to give any consideration to the Coronation during the present reign."

The website also insists the Prince of Wales does not avoid his share of taxation on his commercial or private income.

It reads: "The Prince of Wales pays income tax at the 50 per cent rate on his income from the Duchy of Cornwall, after his business-related costs are deducted.

"His taxes are checked by the Inland Revenue like anyone else, which reviews all his business deductions. In 2011 – 2012, The Prince of Wales paid the full amount in tax, which was almost £5 million during this period."

Under a question reading 'Why doesn't the Duchy of Cornwall pay corporation tax', the website says: "Only companies pay corporation tax. The Duchy is not a company, it is a trust which was set up to generate income for Princes of Wales. The Prince pays income tax on that income and it would therefore not only be legally wrong to introduce corporation tax, but it would also result in double taxation."

The Prince is known to be an advocate of the much-disputed homeopathic medicine, under which patients are given diluted substances said to correspond to their ailment. His charity, the Foundation for Integrated Health, lobbied for the inclusion of the treatment on the National Health Service.

But the website reads: "Does The Prince advocate untested and dangerous alternative medical therapies? Not at all. The Prince is a keen advocate of integrated healthcare. This means taking a wider, preventative approach to healthcare by addressing the underlying social, lifestyle and environmental causes of disease."

Nor is it fair to claim the Prince 'meddles' in Government policy without justification, it says. The Attorney General last month over-ruled judges and blocked the release of the so-called 'black spider memos' - a series of "particularly frank" exchanges between Charles and ministers.

Tony Blair felt the Prince had overstepped the constitutional boundaries previously observed by the Royal family with interventions over foxhunting, the foot and mouth crisis and House of Lords reform.

"It is a long established convention that The Prince, as Duke of Cornwall, is asked by Parliament to provide consent to those bills which Parliament has decided would affect Duchy of Cornwall interests," Clarence House says.

"Every instance of The Prince’s consent having been sought and given to legislation is a matter of public record."

Despite widespread speculation, the Duchess of Cornwall will not become Queen when the Prince becomes King, it says.

According to Clarence House: "It is intended that The Duchess will be known as HRH The Princess Consort when The Prince of Wales accedes to The Throne."

The Prince's environmental credentials are also defended.

The site reads: "As an environmental leader, why does The Prince of Wales drive around in a Bentley and own an Aston Martin?"

According to Clarence House, the Prince does not choose to drive around in a Bentley, but is required to do for some events for security reasons. His Jaguar and Aston Martin run on recycled biofuels.

It has previously been suggested the Prince's valet - amongst other tasks - is charged with squeezing out toothpaste in the morning onto the Prince's brush, and picking out his clothes.

Clarence House said the Prince employs 161 staff, but added: "The majority of the personal staff work on the farm and estate, or in the garden, at Highgrove. The remainder ensure the smooth running of the Royal Household."

Suggestions that the Prince dislikes "all modern architecture" are also unfounded. He famously described a proposed extension to the National Gallery in London as a "monstrous carbuncle", and favours a neo-classical design on properties he owns in the village of Poundbury.

But the site says: "The Prince has been the Patron of several contemporary architects, and has provided training to young architects through his charity."

There had also been suggestions that the Duchess still enjoys cigarettes, but Clarence House insisted: "The Duchess of Cornwall gave up smoking many years ago."